You Fix It By Killing It
A doctor -- pediatric urological surgeon and Emory med school faculty member Hal Scherz -- founded an organization called Docs4PatientCare. He and his fellow members are telling voters not to believe Democrats who say they'll "fix" Obamacare; it needs to be repealed.
I sure agree. I also think health care needs to be available across state lines, that it needs to be untied from the workplace, and that it's not fair, that I (now 46), after paying monthly since my 20s for care, will, in a few years, have to start paying for other people who haven't paid a dime into the system, and who come down with some big disease in their 40s (for example).
At the WSJ, Scherz posts the letter he and his fellow members of Docs4PatientCare are enlisting doctors across the nation to give to their patients -- asking them to vote to repeal Obamacare:
"Dear Patient: Section 1311 of the new health care legislation gives the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and her appointees the power to establish care guidelines that your doctor must abide by or face penalties and fines. In making doctors answerable in the federal bureaucracy this bill effectively makes them government employees and means that you and your doctor are no longer in charge of your health care decisions. This new law politicizes medicine and in my opinion destroys the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship that makes the American health care system the best in the world."Our doctor's letter points out that, in addition to "badly exacerbating the current doctor shortage," ObamaCare will bring "major cost increases, rising insurance premiums, higher taxes, a decline in new medical techniques, a fall-off in the development of miracle drugs as well as rationing by government panels and by bureaucrats like passionate rationing advocate Donald Berwick that will force delays of months or sometimes years for hospitalization or surgery."
We cite the brute facts of ObamaCare's passage:
"Despite countless protests by doctors and overwhelming public opposition--up to 60% of Americans opposed this bill--the current party in control of Congress pushed this bill through with legal bribes and Chicago style threats and is determined now to resist any 'repeal and replace' efforts. This doctor's office is non-partisan--always has been, always will be. But the fact is that every Republican voted against this bad bill while the Democratic Party leadership and the White House completely dismissed the will of the people in ruthlessly pushing through this legislation."
Then we address the Democrats' evasive campaign maneuver:
"In the face of voter anger some Democratic candidates are now trying to make a cosmetic retreat, calling for minor modifications or pretending they are opposed to government-run medicine. Once the election is over, however, they will vote with their party bosses against repealing this bill."
The letter's final lines are the most important:
"Please remember when you vote this November that unless the Democratic Party receives a strong negative message about this power grab our health care system will never be fixed and the doctor patient relationship will be ruined forever."
This message is going out to an electorate that is already frustrated over what they see happening to health care. Missouri voters rejected ObamaCare overwhelmingly in August, voting by a margin of 71%-29% to reject the federal requirement that all individuals purchase health insurance. Democratic pollster Douglas Schoen has assessed that ObamaCare is "a disaster" for Democrats. And around the country many little-noticed primaries have reflected voter rage--including the Republican primary victory of surgeon, political newcomer, and advocate of repeal Daniel Benishek in Michigan's first district.
Again, here's the solution.
Radwaste at September 2, 2010 2:22 AM
And some liberal will sue to ban release of the letter because it is "discriminatory" and "attempts to advocate a political viewpoint" without "giving equal time" to the opposition.
Sabba Hillel at September 2, 2010 5:44 AM
The only way Obamacare can be repealed is if the GOP wins a huge veto proof majority in both houses of Congress and actually passes legislation that kills it. My guess is that even if they do win this November, they will drag it out for as long as possible until 2012 in order to milk as much publicity out of endless committees looking at the consequences of continuing Obamacare.
Tony at September 2, 2010 6:52 AM
Sometimes, this state (Missouri) gets it right.
Cat at September 2, 2010 7:13 AM
One interesting observation is that opposition to the ACA is strongest among those who already have state-sponsored single-payer health care (i.e., senior citizens on Medicare).
http://dailycaller.com/2010/04/26/keep-your-government-hands-off-my-medicare/
Christopher at September 2, 2010 7:51 AM
Lord yes, we must protect the poor insurance companies, who barely make enough profit to keep their doors open. (Pay no attention to those huge Aetna/BlueCross premium increases behind the curtain.)
Steve H at September 2, 2010 9:29 AM
Yes Steve, increases that are often simply because of new gov regulations or the AMA restricting how many new docs can be licensed, shortages of workers, etc. etc..
Also, just an FYI but not all companies with similar names are connected. They are independent, usually working in one state or 2-3. IIRC, my BlueCross Regence is based in Utah and covers Utah, Oregon and Washington. They have agreements to work with other BlueCross insurance co's and providers but they are not connected. It is also a not for profit company.
Now, I have my issues with insurance companies, but going to more gov regulation or outright government control single payer is stupidity and suicide for the individual. The federal government has no legal right to know my medical care status unless I'm on their plan (and if you're over 65, you're forced onto medicare). The commerce clause does not mean they can force me to buy a private product simply for living or shut down a market and create a government monopoly.
Who can you call for help when you're getting screwed by your healthcare provider when there is only one available and its the government? The courts? Haha.
Sio at September 2, 2010 10:37 AM
Clearly Mr. Scherz is motivated by RACISM! :-P
Pirate Jo at September 2, 2010 1:52 PM
Lord yes, we must protect the poor insurance companies, who barely make enough profit to keep their doors open. (Pay no attention to those huge Aetna/BlueCross premium increases behind the curtain.)
Back when the debate was raging I heard the state insurance commissioner talk about how the bill would keep insurance premiums down. A reporter noted that he already had the power to control increases if the insurance companies could not show they were reasonable (there is actual law that says what that is - I don't know exactly, but it is actually fairly tight unlike most other insurances where the market is much more limiting than the law) so presumably all the current increases are reasonable. The commissioner just blew him off and left. Also, the big non-profit HMO was having similar increases so the increases were probably due to actual cost increases.
The Former Banker at September 2, 2010 3:11 PM
It should be mentioned that any time an insurance company wishes to raise rates, the rate increase must be approved by the state insurance commissioner. I've prepared these justifications before (granted, it was for property/casualty insurance, but the life/health process works the same way), and they are very thorough. You really do have to demonstrate that you have the loss experience to justify it.
I wonder how people can call the repeal of Obamacare a favor to the insurance companies, though. Doesn't the bill mandate that people buy their product?
Pirate Jo at September 2, 2010 7:20 PM
Pirate Jo, serious lefties hated the ACA because they saw it as a giant giveaway to insurance companies. Nothing less than single payer or at least a public company to compete with private insurance would do. In some ways, the ACA was lose-lose for the Obama administration. Your opponents hate it and your base hates it. At least Republican politicians gain opposition support when they sell out their base.
Christopher at September 2, 2010 7:56 PM
One thing to undersand is the incredible uphill battle the repeal advocates have. This means Republicans must win the House(reasonably likely; hoodbye speaker Pelosi, yay!) and Senate, which is still unlikely. Once they do, they must decide repeal is the thing to do (instead of, e.g., pursuing frivolous impeachment charges that might make the base even more happy). Then they must pass repeal over a Democratic filibuster in the Senate, only to have Obama veto the law. Since there is no scenario in which the Repblicans can override a veto until 2012, at which point the politcal winds may very well have changed, and the Senate filibuster will have not, I tend to think the likelihood of the ACA being repealed is vanishingly unlikely.
Christopher at September 2, 2010 8:16 PM
Steve, is your head full of rocks?
I'm going to lose my insurance, and in all likelihood my doctor because of Obamacare.
But, fuck me, right? I'm just an evil conservative who deserves to have the government deny me care anyhow.
brian at September 3, 2010 8:32 AM
"In making doctors answerable in the federal bureaucracy this bill effectively makes them government employees and means that you and your doctor are no longer in charge of your health care decisions."
Strawman arguments work well upon listeners suffering from attention deficit disorders. Doctors and patients long ago lost charge of healthcare decisions. Insurance companies took charge of healthcare decisions, including rationing of healthcare, decades ago. The number one reason opponents of so-called Obamacare will fail to repeal it is because -- wait for it -- they'll put the insurance companies back in charge of healthcare decisions and healthcare rationing.
Townsend Harris at September 5, 2010 8:50 AM
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